Child Psychiatry Takes to the Streets: A Development Partnership Between a University Institute and Children and Adolescents From the Streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil

• NCJ Number: 234559
• Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 35 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2011 Pages: 89-95
• Author(s): Sandra Scivoletto; Thiago Fernando da Silva; Robert Alan Rosenheck
• Date Published: February 2011
• Length: 7 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article examines the results of the first 24 months of the Equilibrium Project, a social reintegration program created through a virtual partnership between an academic psychiatric institute and children and adolescents from the streets of Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Abstract

Results from the first 24 months following implementation of the Equilibrium Project (TEP) showed that 351 children and adolescents, almost all of whom were neglected by their parents, participated in the program during this time. Of the participants, 58.4 percent reported physical or sexual abuse, 88.9 percent were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, and 40.4 percent reported drug use. After 24 months of operation of TEP, 63.5 percent of the participants (n=223) successfully completed or continue in treatment and 34.8 percent (n=122) were reunited with their families. Qualitative data for this study were collected from TEP over a 24-month period. The Equilibrium Project is developmental partnership established by an academic psychiatric institute in Sao Paolo, Brazil, to facilitate the social reintegration of children and adolescents living on the street. Previous research has shown that high levels of domestic violence, mental illness, and alienation from parents and authorities are associated with greater incidences of children and adolescents living on the streets. This program was developed to reduce the incidence of children living on the streets and to provide them with much needed social services. While the program began in a clinical setting, it was eventually moved to a community-based setting that brought together recreational and professional services that included social service agencies, government officials, and law enforcement officials. The results of the analysis show that successful reintegration programs can be developed when program development is guided by input from the program's users. Table and references